Big changes coming to coaching certification

[sureshs]

It's just to give parents peace of mind that their little Taylors and Beckys will get junior training by someone who is credentialed. It won't help. If Taylor and Becky must go to Stanford via scholarship you cannot rely on the USTA for help.

The peace of mind comes from the Safe Play requirement which performs background checks. It would have been easy to add that without any other changes and it is already done by club employers. But it is being touted as something to do with this overhaul. It is like making college 8 years and justifying it with a background check in the final year.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[heninfan99]

The peace of mind comes from the Safe Play requirement which performs background checks. It would have been easy to add that without any other changes and it is already done by club employers. But it is being touted as something to do with this overhaul. It is like making college 8 years and justifying it with a background check in the final year.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

The Safe Play will scare off a good number, even seasoned pros.

 

[ChaelAZ]

The peace of mind comes from the Safe Play requirement which performs background checks. It would have been easy to add that without any other changes and it is already done by club employers. But it is being touted as something to do with this overhaul. It is like making college 8 years and justifying it with a background check in the final year.

I did it and it was nothing. No time at all. I think it is well worth doing as a professional organization.

 

[sureshs]

The Safe Play will scare off a good number, even seasoned pros.

It will be criminal checks. Hopefully not credit or ongoing lawsuits checks. But employers are doing all that. Don't know the scope of this one.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[sureshs]

I did it and it was nothing. No time at all. I think it is well worth doing as a professional organization.

Not if it includes financial issues and finds out that you are behind on your BMW payments and flags you as a person who may become embroiled in financial issues and unable to demonstrate the T serve due to worries.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[Knox]

The main reasons for US decline in tennis are well researched:

Best men go to other more lucrative sports

Players don't grow up on clay

Players don't crosstrain with soccer for footwork (Europeans and South America tout the above two as beneficial)

Rec players quit due to not finding people of their level to play with

I don't see how more onerous credentialing solves any of this.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Nailed it.

Im having a hard time seeing this move by the USTA as any thing more than a cash grab strategy.

1.) Increase cert requirements
2.) Strongarm clubs into requiring the cert
3.) Increase cert fees
4.) Profit

 

[ChaelAZ]

Not if it includes financial issues and finds out that you are behind on your BMW payments and flags you as a person who may become embroiled in financial issues and unable to demonstrate the T serve due to worries.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Financial issues don’t show on background checks, unless there is some fraud and legal action.

Again, no big deal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sureshs]

Nailed it.

Im having a hard time seeing this move by the USTA as any thing more than a cash grab strategy.

1.) Increase cert requirements
2.) Strongarm clubs into requiring the cert
3.) Increase cert fees
4.) Profit

5. Create a network of teachers to teach the additional courses. More employment. Behind every bureaucracy is an unwritten desire to increase employment.

 

[sureshs]

Financial issues don’t show on background checks, unless there is some fraud and legal action.

Again, no big deal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lawsuits you are involved in might show up. I am not sure about legal proceedings related to personal matters like divorce.

 

[sureshs]

Found an online book on the Internet:

What Tennis Pros Don’T Teach (Wtpdt)

What Tennis Pros Dont Teach encompasses a World of information threading Tennis and life at work. It talks about the forces of Tennis under all different scenarios. This book is based on the love of Tennis as the foundation to tackle philosophy, mental toughness, discipline, strategy, the...

books.google.com

Seems to say that Europe produces better players because the coaches are certified more rigorously, but also states that coaches of juniors should have had competitive junior or college experience.

Now these can be mutually exclusive. An adult seeking certification is too old to reinvent himself as a college player if he is not, and no amount of training will turn him into one. So I don't understand the point he is trying to make.

 

[heninfan99]

Found an online book on the Internet:

What Tennis Pros Don’T Teach (Wtpdt)

What Tennis Pros Dont Teach encompasses a World of information threading Tennis and life at work. It talks about the forces of Tennis under all different scenarios. This book is based on the love of Tennis as the foundation to tackle philosophy, mental toughness, discipline, strategy, the...

books.google.com

Seems to say that Europe produces better players because the coaches are certified more rigorously, but also states that coaches of juniors should have had competitive junior or college experience.

Now these can be mutually exclusive. An adult seeking certification is too old to reinvent himself as a college player if he is not, and no amount of training will turn him into one. So I don't understand the point he is trying to make.

Learn the reasoning from the guy that's running it.

 

[Heck]

Big changes at PTR in 2020. They are taking away 3 separate pathways and doing a level 1 certification. 10 & Under, 11 to 17 and Adult Development will no longer be offered.
But if you have all 3 you will roll over into level 1. If you have one or two you still keep them.

The level 1 will be a much larger commitment. 6 days on court with a pre-test before you can go. Cpr and first aid, Bg checks, safe sport and tennis integrity unit.

"The new Level I pathway is a very comprehensive program to raise the bar on coach education. Level I consists of 6 days of face-to-face education covering Jr. Development, Recreational/High School Development, Adult Development. During the 6 days of experiential learning, coaches will be immersed in key topics vital to improving coaching knowledge, skills and behaviors. The cost looks to be 495.00.

Topics covered will include:

• Session Planning and organization
• GDM (Growth, Development, Maturation)
• Physical Development through ages and phases
• Technical & Tactical Parameters
• Competitive Structures
• Effective Interaction and Communication
• Setting Goals and Standards
• Ethical Practice
• Building Relationships
• Reflective Skills

We are pleased to offer this very comprehensive foundational framework for coaches to enhance their education and coach competence.
"

 

[sovertennis]

Lawsuits you are involved in might show up. I am not sure about legal proceedings related to personal matters like divorce.

Lawsuits are civil, not criminal, actions and will not show up on a criminal background check.

 

[sovertennis]

A recent issue of the monthly USPTA magazine had an editorial imploring (we) tennis pros to finish our required continuing ed credits. According to the article 5000+ instructors are currently deficient and will lose their certification on Dec 31 if they don't complete the requirement.

Which reminds me...

 

[sureshs]

Big changes at PTR in 2020. They are taking away 3 separate pathways and doing a level 1 certification. 10 & Under, 11 to 17 and Adult Development will no longer be offered.
But if you have all 3 you will roll over into level 1. If you have one or two you still keep them.

The level 1 will be a much larger commitment. 6 days on court with a pre-test before you can go. Cpr and first aid, Bg checks, safe sport and tennis integrity unit.

"The new Level I pathway is a very comprehensive program to raise the bar on coach education. Level I consists of 6 days of face-to-face education covering Jr. Development, Recreational/High School Development, Adult Development. During the 6 days of experiential learning, coaches will be immersed in key topics vital to improving coaching knowledge, skills and behaviors. The cost looks to be 495.00.

Topics covered will include:

• Session Planning and organization
• GDM (Growth, Development, Maturation)
• Physical Development through ages and phases
• Technical & Tactical Parameters
• Competitive Structures
• Effective Interaction and Communication
• Setting Goals and Standards
• Ethical Practice
• Building Relationships
• Reflective Skills

We are pleased to offer this very comprehensive foundational framework for coaches to enhance their education and coach competence.
"

Much better than the 6 to 12 months of internship that the USPTA is going to enforce from 2021 in conjunction with the USTA.

500 bucks for 6 days of training and testing is in line with many professional courses, like the 1 week intensive programming camps in software. The BG check, CPR and first aid are a no-brainer and required even of club employees these days.

I think the USPTR has come up with a very nice comprehensive yet affordable program to silence the critics of the US system and yet not sell out to the USTA and impose extended training for 6 months to a year.

If it is headed this way, I see no reconciliation with the USTA and come Jan 2021, the largest tennis teaching organization in the world which was conceived and headquartered in the US will be producing pros deemed by the USTA to be unfit for teaching. The clubs will be caught in the middle if the USTA/USPTA certification is selectively imposed on them. Many things can happen. The USPTA is already openly trying to poach from the USPTR by offering them an easy route. The USPTR may lose so many people that they cease to be relevant in the US. Or the clubs and academies can rebel and refuse to prefer USTA endorsed pros, in which case a fight for USTA grants will break out. I don't see the UTR leagues dominating the USTA anytime soon and the USTA has tons of money to hand out.

I hope there are lawsuits filed if attempts are made to link funding with hiring of certain certified pros.

 

[sureshs]

A recent issue of the monthly USPTA magazine had an editorial imploring (we) tennis pros to finish our required continuing ed credits. According to the article 5000+ instructors are currently deficient and will lose their certification on Dec 31 if they don't complete the requirement.

Which reminds me...

I saw that. The tone of the USPTA is getting progressively nastier and authoritarian and with the backing of the USTA now, I think they feel they finally have the upper hand in the ongoing hostility with the USPTR.

 

[heninfan99]

I wonder if all these heightened requirements will boost MTM certs which I believe can be done online.

 

[sureshs]

I wonder if all these heightened requirements will boost MTM certs which I believe can be done online.

Online is the way to go.

 

[ChaelAZ]

I saw that. The tone of the USPTA is getting progressively nastier and authoritarian and with the backing of the USTA now, I think they feel they finally have the upper hand in the ongoing hostility with the USPTR.

Coaches have always had to complete a few CE credits over 3 years, which is actually very low in terms of professional development if you ask me. If you merely attended a few local meetings each year you'd have it.

How is this the USPTA being "nastier" or such? They post reminders all the time about CEs and opportunities for CEs.

 

[sovertennis]

Coaches have always had to complete a few CE credits over 3 years, which is actually very low in terms of professional development if you ask me. If you merely attended a few local meetings each year you'd have it.

How is this the USPTA being "nastier" or such? They post reminders all the time about CEs and opportunities for CEs.

Agreed. I get no sense the USPTA is getting "nasty" but do sense a bit of desperation due to the number of coaches who are leaving the organization. I think for many of us, USPTA is not longer relevant to our work.

 

[giantschwinn]

As a parent, USPTA coaching license means very little and is not the first thing I look at. The following things matter more:
1. You have coached someone to top 50 in the section. To all coaches, book lessons for your best students when the club is busiest... this is free advertisement.
2. You are a 5.0 player and keep yourself in shape.
3. You work with the parents to come up with goals and milestones and develop the child accordingly.

 

[sureshs]

I want Amazon to start a tennis certification service. Just a few clicks and a drone will deliver my certificate to me within 1 hour.

 

[sureshs]

Coaches have always had to complete a few CE credits over 3 years, which is actually very low in terms of professional development if you ask me. If you merely attended a few local meetings each year you'd have it.

How is this the USPTA being "nastier" or such? They post reminders all the time about CEs and opportunities for CEs.

Why do you need continuing education? This is not medicine or law. Why make it more important than what it is? And why can't people just read and watch video on their own if they want to upgrade their knowledge?

Concepts have not changed in years. Rackets and strings have stagnated and nothing new has come up. What is the difference in pro tennis now from when Sampras and Agassi started playing that requires new methods of teaching?

 

[Knox]

I want Amazon to start a tennis certification service. Just a few clicks and a drone will deliver my certificate to me within 1 hour.

This is a good joke, but it could actually work.

Are you familiar with the Great Course series on Audible? (If not, check it out, it will change your life)

There could be something like that for tennis instruction. A Tennis Great Course with an exam at the end. Pass the exam, get a cert.

Get on it Amazon.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Why do you need continuing education? This is not medicine or law. Why make it more important than what it is? And why can't people just read and watch video on their own if they want to upgrade their knowledge?

Concepts have not changed in years. Rackets and strings have stagnated and nothing new has come up. What is the difference in pro tennis now from when Sampras and Agassi started playing that requires new methods of teaching?

You can get CE's for webinars, DVD's and all kinds of passive learning activites and merely showing up to events.

So coaches for Sampras and Agassi went from teaching at parks or a local club and just suddenly could coach pro's? Go get your 1 hour Amazon certificte and tell me how many of them are knocking on your door because you learned and are competent in THE method of teaching without having learned anything more.

 

[sureshs]

You can get CE's for webinars, DVD's and all kinds of passive learning activites and merely showing up to events.

So coaches for Sampras and Agassi went from teaching at parks or a local club and just suddenly could coach pro's? Go get your 1 hour Amazon certificte and tell me how many of them are knocking on your door because you learned and are competent in THE method of teaching without having learned anything more.

Whatever they learned about teaching they probably did on their own, not because of taking any continuing education courses.

In fact, most of the USTA leadership pushing the onerous requirements and new continuing education requirements probably never did any of that when they started out.

 

[rogerroger917]

Surehs makes too much sense. Scary for usta

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[sureshs]

The USPTA should remove the grandfathering clause and insist that by Jan 2021 all existing members must get re-certified with the new requirements.

You will see an exodus so fast you won't believe it.

 

[sureshs]

Surehs makes too much sense. Scary for usta

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Nothing can happen to them. They are recognized by Congress as the only official tennis body in the US.

 

[Ruark]

1500 hours? So who's going to teach them?

 

[Harry_Wild]

1500 hours? So who's going to teach them?

Certified USTA teachers of cours!

 

[Chadalina]

You can get CE's for webinars, DVD's and all kinds of passive learning activites and merely showing up to events.

Everyone will teach the same if they are all taught to teach the same. I got fed up with them because the pushing of dvd's and attending events. No desire to hang out with other pro's who fake it all weekend.

You only need uspta for insurance (cheap) and free rackets. They have made themselves bigger than they need to be with the continueing eductation, simply so they can sell you stuff.

The organization is on par with the usta now.

 

[Ruark]

(long sigh.....)

This won't work. First off, 99% of the "pros" I see at courts are just ex-college players who couldn't or wouldn't live on the pro tour, so they got jobs at tennis courts. And again, as I've said before, most tennis pros (coaches, teachers, whatever you want to call them) are classic examples of the concept of "just because you're good at something doesn't mean you can teach it to somebody else." You can require them to have 5,000 hours a year, and that still doesn't mean they'll know how to teach worth a flip.

 

[5sets]

Why do you need continuing education? This is not medicine or law. Why make it more important than what it is? And why can't people just read and watch video on their own if they want to upgrade their knowledge?

Concepts have not changed in years. Rackets and strings have stagnated and nothing new has come up. What is the difference in pro tennis now from when Sampras and Agassi started playing that requires new methods of teaching?

You don’t. It’s just a ploy to get in your wallet.

 

[sureshs]

1500 hours? So who's going to teach them?

Only part of that is teaching. Most is internship under a mentor while earning as a coach.

 

[heninfan99]

I saw a hack coach this wknd (who had failed the written part of a wknd cert last year) try to change the forehand grip of a 76 yr old who plays once every two weeks for fun. His urge to "teach" something to somebody trumped the practical needs of this older player who plays an okay lob game with is old school grip.

Even though he failed certification he's still ruining peoples games. It's a kind of malpractice.

 

[Ruark]

I saw a hack coach this wknd (who had failed the written part of a wknd cert last year) try to change the forehand grip of a 76 yr old who plays once every two weeks for fun. His urge to "teach" something to somebody trumped the practical needs of this older player who plays an okay lob game with is old school grip.

Even though he failed certification he's still ruining peoples games. It's a kind of malpractice.

I see this sort of thing all the time. Saw an "assistant head pro" (with a sparkling college record) over the weekend giving a lesson ($65 an hour) to a young guy in his 20s, slim and athletic. He was teaching him to hit a forehand with a stiff arm and wrist - from the shoulder down to the tip of the racket, "one piece," stiff as a board, with his feet about 3' apart. As usual, just at impact he would swivel his head upward, looking over the net, instead of keeping it down and focusing on the ball, but of course this was ignored. Of course, his racket head speed was nil, and the coach would often just catch the ball in his hand.

I gave up on "lessons" a long, long time ago. Seems like it's always the same old thing; they focus on what HAPPENS during a stroke, instead of diagnosing YOUR stroke and what you need to do or not do. Doesn't matter if it's a part time muny "pro" or high-dollar country club coach. No wonder people either stop playing or take up pickleball. I mean, it's so freaking OBVIOUS. Sorry for the rant.

 

[heninfan99]

I see this sort of thing all the time. Saw an "assistant head pro" (with a sparkling college record) over the weekend giving a lesson ($65 an hour) to a young guy in his 20s, slim and athletic. He was teaching him to hit a forehand with a stiff arm and wrist - from the shoulder down to the tip of the racket, "one piece," stiff as a board, with his feet about 3' apart. As usual, just at impact he would swivel his head upward, looking over the net, instead of keeping it down and focusing on the ball, but of course this was ignored. Of course, his racket head speed was nil, and the coach would often just catch the ball in his hand.

I gave up on "lessons" a long, long time ago. Seems like it's always the same old thing; they focus on what HAPPENS during a stroke, instead of diagnosing YOUR stroke and what you need to do or not do. Doesn't matter if it's a part time muny "pro" or high-dollar country club coach. No wonder people either stop playing or take up pickleball. I mean, it's so freaking OBVIOUS. Sorry for the rant.

Ya know, whenever I walk by the pickleball courts it's obvious that they have way more fun than the folks on the tennis courts.

 

[Raul_SJ]

I see this sort of thing all the time. Saw an "assistant head pro" (with a sparkling college record) over the weekend giving a lesson ($65 an hour) to a young guy in his 20s, slim and athletic. He was teaching him to hit a forehand with a stiff arm and wrist - from the shoulder down to the tip of the racket, "one piece," stiff as a board, with his feet about 3' apart.

Coach was a good college player so presumably he knows what a stroke should look like. Why is he teaching a stiff stroke?

 

[Ruark]

Coach was a good college player so presumably he knows what a stroke should look like. Why is he teaching a stiff stroke?

As has been said, just because you know a lot about something doesn't mean......

 

[Raul_SJ]

As has been said, just because you know a lot about something doesn't mean......

So he was a high level player and assistant head pro. That means he was presumably certified by USPTA.
But that certification did not entail verifying that he could actually put his knowledge to work and teach someone successfully; only knowledge acquisition.

 

[Ruark]

So he was a high level player and assistant head pro. That means he was presumably certified by USPTA.
But that certification did not entail verifying that he could actually put his knowledge to work and teach someone successfully; only knowledge acquisition.

And that's the whole point - I've seen scenarios like the one described a million times. So if you have one pro like this being "mentored" by another pro like this, what's it going to accomplish? And what about the so-called "head pro"? Who's going to mentor HIM? Who's going to "mentor the mentors"?

 

[rogerroger917]

Pyramid scheme.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[sureshs]

The USPTA recently unveiled a new certified membership category, Tennis Instructor, that is designed to offer aspiring tennis professionals a pathway into the coaching ranks with USPTA certification. Tennis Instructor will replace the non-certified Recreational Coach category on January 1, 2021.

Current Recreational Coaches can become Tennis Instructors by attending a Teaching Essentials 1 workshop (2 days of face-to-face training), completing USTA Safe Play training online and passing a background screening. The USTA will cover the cost of the TE1 workshop and background screening.

Tennis Instructors will receive coverage under the USPTA’s $6 million liability insurance policy for annual membership dues of just $199.

Recreational Coaches that do not wish to become Tennis Instructors will be classified as Tennis Instructor Applicant Members on January 1, 2021.

Upcoming Teaching Essentials 1 workshops are listed below. More dates will be added soon at a location near you.



I signed up already! It is free if you are a USPTA member and a rec coach.

 

[Notirouswithag]

^ interesting to know, what else is new?

 

[heninfan99]

The USPTA recently unveiled a new certified membership category, Tennis Instructor, that is designed to offer aspiring tennis professionals a pathway into the coaching ranks with USPTA certification. Tennis Instructor will replace the non-certified Recreational Coach category on January 1, 2021.

Current Recreational Coaches can become Tennis Instructors by attending a Teaching Essentials 1 workshop (2 days of face-to-face training), completing USTA Safe Play training online and passing a background screening. The USTA will cover the cost of the TE1 workshop and background screening.

Tennis Instructors will receive coverage under the USPTA’s $6 million liability insurance policy for annual membership dues of just $199.

Recreational Coaches that do not wish to become Tennis Instructors will be classified as Tennis Instructor Applicant Members on January 1, 2021.

Upcoming Teaching Essentials 1 workshops are listed below. More dates will be added soon at a location near you.



I signed up already! It is free if you are a USPTA member and a rec coach. Topics:

• Stroke Production - Serve
• Stroke Production - Misc Strokes
• Stroke Production - Backhand
• Stroke Production - Forehand
• Group Lesson
• Stroke Production - Volley
• Private Lesson
• Professional Tennis Coaches Academy I

What about unaspiring tennis professionals? Applicant Members seems like an unnecessarily harsh label.

 

[sureshs]

^ interesting to know, what else is new?

From next year, the regular USPTA coach certifications are going to become far more difficult, as discussed in this thread.

I like the conversion of Rec Coach to Tennis Instructor. Not only does it sound better, it also requires a background check which is very important to parents and women these days. Also makes you eligible to purchase their insurance. Given the onerous requirements for the Coach category, maybe Tennis Instructor is good enough for many.

Not that I myself intend to coach, but it is good for those looking for a second source of income, retirement income, or high school coaching positions even voluntary ones.

Cost is $199/year membership + one time $199 if you are not already a rec coach. And as far as I can see, no future continuing education requirements. So you are all set for many years with background check, eligibility for insurance, training in Safeplay, and some knowledge of coaching all for $398 + $199/year going forward. You even get your own web page I think.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Upcoming Teaching Essentials 1 workshops
I signed up already!

Which one are you doing? I will probably see you there since my only options are TX or CA. Most likely Rancho.

 

[sureshs]

Which one are you doing? I will probably see you there since my only options are TX or CA. Most likely Rancho.

March 7 and 8 in Barnes. Why are you not coming for that? @ChaelAZ

 

[ChaelAZ]

March 7 and 8 in Barnes. Why are you not coming for that? @ChaelAZ

I still might, but that is the weekend i am heading to Indian Wells so we will see. The Fairfield one is probably going to work because I am out for the summer from work.